


But How Can I Have My Happy Ending (When It's Not With You)

by lil_sis24



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Swan Queen - Freeform, a little bit of angst, only mention of oq, sq through and through
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-12
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-14 07:58:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4556856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lil_sis24/pseuds/lil_sis24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina is with Robin, Emma can't stand it anylonger. She tries to find a way out of her misery. She just wants her happy ever after and she knows that's with Regina. Is running away the best idea? Well, certainly not, but it was an impulse she acted on. Now she has to deal with it. </p><p>David, Regina and Henry work together to find Emma and bring her back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A huuuuuuge THANK YOU with cake and cookies go to the magical Sophie - you helped me so much with this story and I dare say that without you? I wouldn't be able to post this today. Thank you for beta reading and for your patience with me :D You're the best Sophicorn out there, I swear!!! :3 
> 
> I started this story months ago and never got around to finish it - until a few days ago. Now it's finally here. It will be posted in 3 chapters, one chapter per day. I hope you'll enjoy this story. :) 
> 
> English still isn't my native language, so again, a huge thank you to my magical beta reader. <3

* * *

 

 

Maybe she wasn't made for this. Maybe that was the reason she was currently sitting here, in the middle of the forest, trying to forget. Maybe she wasn't made for love, for happiness, for a family. Sure, Henry loved her, and her parents and her brother loved her. Regina might like her by now, maybe. And that was a big maybe. Which hurt. Because on her part? It was way more than just “like” and she knew it.

 

That's why she had talked to Hook this morning, as she had reached a state of clarity during the night. It had left her with a sense of relief. And dread. Because Regina loved Robin. Regina had her soul mate. How could she have fallen for someone that had found her soul mate? A soul mate that wasn't her?

 

Emma shuddered and pulled her knees tighter into her body. She was sitting on the ground, the evening was coming and the ground in the forest was a little damp from the rain last night. But she was sure that that couldn't be the only reason she shuddered. It was because she knew it was all fruitless. It was all for naught.

 

She had been in the diner with Henry, having lunch after a day spent at the park. And then Regina had walked in, Robin right behind her. She smiled at him and she had looked so happy. So damn happy. How could Emma stand in between Regina and her happiness? All she wanted was for her to be happy. But why did it hurt so much? Why did it feel like she was breaking apart on the inside? Why did her heart feel like it had stopped beating and like it tried to race itself at the same time? Why did it have to hurt so much?

 

She hid her face, pressing it against her knees, hiding the tears. She was able to control loud sobbing. She had learned that a long long time ago. Nothing good ever came of crying loudly. Even now that she was an adult she still cried silently.

Regina, Regina, Regina, Regina.... It was all her mind could whisper. Why did it have to hurt so fucking much?

 

When she broke up with him, Hook had looked surprised, and at the same time, not at all. His eyes had shown a hurt that couldn't be prevented, but she couldn't give a fuck at the same time. He wasn't her true love. She knew that. She also knew that she wasn't his true love either. He'd get over her, very easily in fact. He never really loved her, just like she never really loved him.

 

For her, it had always been Regina. Always had been, always would be. But that fact didn't change anything because Regina was still with Robin, happily so. And she would stand by on the sidelines, watch over her, be happy for her. Or so she thought.

It wasn't an easy thing to do. If she thought about it, really thought about it, it was actually fucking hard. She felt like it was ripping her apart from the inside. She didn't know how much longer she could just stand beside them, watch them parading their newly found happiness, being a happy little family with Henry and Roland. Emma felt sick to her stomach.

 

She couldn't remember how long she'd been sitting there, but it must have been at least four hours, as it was getting darker with every passing minute. Her legs and bottom felt numb. Her fingers were cold, gripping at each other tightly.

She desperately hoped Regina had taken Henry home with her. When she saw her and.. him.. come in she had just gotten up and left the diner... With no explanation whatsoever, neither to Henry, nor anyone else. The only person who would probably know what had happened was David. As soon as her Dad heard about her running away he'd know why. They had been talking a lot lately, as Emma had been distracted and absent on the job. But she had also felt like he was the only one she could really trust with this. He had taken a liking to Regina in the past few months and when she had started to explain, he was so perfectly understanding that Emma was beyond relieved.

 

So when Regina had come into the diner with Robin, Henry had instantly welcomed them warmly and invited them to sit at their table. Before they could take a step in their direction though, Emma had gotten up and ran out. She couldn't stand it in that moment to have them sit at their table, feeling like they were rubbing their happiness in her face.

 

Their happiness. She didn't have that. She felt broken. Worthless. Empty. Lonely. And that she was. She was not just alone in that moment. She was lonely.

Her heart was aching, breaking into a thousand little pieces. She'd never be truly happy, not without Regina.

 

She knew it'd sound ridiculous and naïve if she were to ever say it out loud. But she just knew that Regina... Regina was her happy ending. A happy ending that she wasn't meant to have. A happy ending she'd never get because happy endings weren't meant for her.

 

She didn't know if anyone had tried to follow her. But Henry wouldn't have been fast enough, Robin wouldn't have cared – and frankly, if he'd have caught her? She'd have punched him and then kept on running – and Regina? Emma was pretty sure she didn't care either, not to mention that she wouldn't have been able to keep up with her in those ridiculous high heels she insisted on wearing (that definitely made her legs look so much longer, but Emma tried very hard not to think about that. Not right now, not ever), so Emma didn't think anyone would try to find her. Her parents were too busy with Baby Neal anyway. Not that she doubted their love for her. But she knew she just wasn't a priority to them right now and she was fine with that. She honestly was.

 

Her shudders had turned into violent shivers now, she was so cold. But she couldn't find it in her to get up and try to find a way “home”, to Storybrooke.

She was tired. Tired of everything there at the moment. She didn't want to face Henry, or her parents, who by now must've heard that she had just run away like the coward she was, and she certainly didn't want to face Regina.

 

She didn't even know where she was. Not really. She had been running blindly, driven by the pain inside her chest, blinded by the tears streaming down her face. She might as well have stumbled across the town line. She didn't know and she honestly, in that moment, didn't care. She turned her head to the side and stared into the forest, which was growing ever darker. She couldn't go back there, she really couldn't.

If anyone had wanted to find her, they would've. But no one had, so no one would, she was sure of that by now. She felt so hopeless and broken.

 

Emma knew running away made her a coward. She was the biggest fucking coward around. Running away from her family, from her son and the one person she felt she could trust completely, and all because she couldn't have her. Only because the one she loved with all that she was and had was in love with another. Not with her. Not with Emma.

 

She hurt even more now. Not just her body, everything hurt. Her limbs, her arms, her back. She wished it was still numb, but it wasn't. How could she get it to feel numb again? Then she at least could return to Storybrooke, pretend nothing happened, go back to her parents and Henry and smile at them and avoid Regina and Robin forever.

If only that was a possibility. Maybe she could go and live in another town. She could always go back to working as a bail bondsperson. That hadn't exactly been lucrative all the time, but she'd survive. That actually sounded like a plan she could imagine. Henry, just like she, was able to cross the town line, so he could visit her. She could always Skype with her parents...

 

Emma heaved a heavy sigh.

 

That wouldn’t work, who was she kidding. She was such a fool for believing she could actually leave Regina behind. Just the thought hurt ten times worse then seeing her happily parading her fulfilling love life with Robin around town, the absolutely disgusting forest boy. She sneered at the thought.

 

So, maybe she wasn't made for love, family and happiness, maybe she was meant to suffer. Maybe she was meant to be in love with someone she'd never have. Fate sucked, if that was the truth. But there was nothing really she could do about it, now was there? She shook her head at herself.

 

Now it was pitch black around her. She wasn't scared, but suddenly there were a lot of unfamiliar noises around her. It made her wary. Especially when there suddenly was something that sounded like footsteps. Steps that were drawing nearer and nearer. Emma didn't move, didn't dare to breathe. Had someone found her? Or was it a stranger? Did she cross the town line? She couldn't remember. Why did she have to be such a hotheaded coward. Fuck you, she thought to herself. _Because it fucking hurt, that's why, you stupid, stupid girl._

 

And of course she had had to go and fall over her own feet, stumbling through the forest like a fool and not looking where she was going. She remembered that her right foot had caught on a root or a stone, she didn't really check what it was, but she remembered falling and twisting her ankle. Not even caring but actually welcoming the pain that seemed to war with the pain taking up residence in her chest and heart. She had been running a bit further until she collapsed exhausted to the ground and that's where she was still sitting now. So even if someone was coming – whoever it was – she couldn't even attempt to run any more. So she closed her eyes and ignored everything going on around her. Ignored everything and concentrated on her breathing. _In, one, two, three, four, out, one, two, three, four. In, one, two, three, four, out, one, two, three, four._

 

And with that, she fell asleep.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

When she woke up again, she realised a few things at once. She was cold and the air smelled different, which meant she wasn't in the forest any more. It was a familiar smell, though. It wasn't home, most certainly not. But she knew that smell, she just couldn't figure it out yet.

 

Emma slowly blinked her eyes open. It was dark around her, but there was a strange light coming from somewhere above her. She tried to focus on it, but at that moment her body shuddered violently and her head started to throb painfully. She tried to move, to sit up a bit, but the heavy duvet covering her prevented her from it. So instead she burrowed deeper into the warmth that the duvet provided for her, even though she felt the burning need to discover where she was and how she'd gotten there.

 

When she felt the gentle touch of a hand, carefully stroking through her hair and the oh so soft touch of lips on her forehead, creating a pulse of golden light that washed over her, she closed her eyes with a soft hum. And before long, her breathing evened out again and Emma fell back into a dreamless sleep, not at all worried about the company she was in. She felt safe and comfortable, she was where she needed to be to finally heal.

 

 

* * *

  


The next time Emma woke up, there was light streaming into the unfamiliar room through a window to her left. This time she wasn't feeling as cold as the first time she was awake. Instead, she felt like she was burning up. Great she thought, I must have caught a cold. She sighed and blearily took in her surroundings. Hospital room. Someone must have found her and brought her in. She couldn't remember anything after falling asleep in the woods and in between waking up here the first time and then the second time she could only draw a blank. She just hoped it wasn't Henry who had found her. Or Regina.

 

Wait. She hadn’t been alone when she woke up the first time. But who had been with her? It was too dark to see, and she had been too tired and too cold to really care and now, now she was alone.

 

She sighed again and carefully sat up. Her head still hurt and she couldn't move her right leg properly. Did she fall? She vaguely remembered welcoming the pain in her leg... But how had it happened? She couldn't remember that.

 

She was still deep in thought, trying to remember as much from her night in the forest as she could, when to her right, the door opened. Emma's first reaction was to try to flee. Who was coming into her room? What did they want? Her heart rate doubled and she shrieked.

 

“Emma. Emma! It's okay. It's just me.”

 

David. It was David.

 

“Dad” Emma whispered in relief. “Dad. Did you find me? What happened?”

 

Her voice was raspy. Oh, she definitely must've caught a cold. Or maybe it was from all the crying she had done the night before. Was it the night before?

 

“A lot happened, Emma.” David said and took hold of Emma's hand. “Will you answer my questions first, though?” At Emma's nod, he continued. “How are you feeling?”

 

Emma knew she had to answer his questions first or she wouldn't get any answers.

 

“Tired, dad. I feel tired. My ankle hurts and my throat is sore. Other than that, I'm just peachy.” She couldn't keep herself from being at least a little sarcastic in the end. David seemed to be satisfied with that though because he nodded and asked his next question.

 

“What is the last thing you remember?”

 

Emma blinked and thought for a moment.

 

_She closed her eyes and ignored everything going on around her. Ignored everything and concentrated on her breathing. In, one, two, three, four, out, one, two, three, four. In, one, two, three, four, out, one, two, three, four._

_And with that, she fell asleep._

 

“After that, I remember waking up, once, already here, I guess. Because the smell was different but I was a bit out of it I think...” she trailed off, leaving out the fact that she remembered somebody touching her, kissing her. “What happened David?” she inquired instead.

 

Her eyes wide, she stared at him. She was desperate for answers, she needed to know what had occurred out there, other than her falling asleep and being found. But by whom?

 

Before David could answer her, she coughed, making her body shake and her head pound, shooting pain all through her upper body and making her groan.

 

“You should rest, Emma. I'll be here when you wake up again...” David said, and it didn't sound like a suggestion. Emma carefully shook her head 'no'.

 

“Dad, please. I need to know.”

 

He sighed.

 

“Let me get you something to drink first, okay?”

 

She sighed but reluctantly agreed. “Okay. Something warm, please? With honey maybe?”

 

David nodded, stood up and left the room without another word. Was she imagining it or was he actually trying to avoid telling her what happened? She sighed again and pulled the covers further up her body. She was cold, shivering, and she really needed some warm, human contact. And she knew who her body wanted, needed, to cuddle up to. But she knew, even in her feverish state, that that would most likely never happen. She started to resign herself to that fact. But how could she handle it?

 

Without her noticing it, she had succumbed to the downward spiral her thoughts and heart had put her into. Without her noticing it at first, the door to her room had opened again, but then she heard a gasp from the direction of the doorway.

 

“Emma?”

 

“Mom...”

 

“Oh, thank god you’re awake! How are you feeling?” Snow asked, while hurrying towards the bed her daughter was lying in. She hugged her carefully, but tightly.

 

“I’m fine, mom. Dad is getting me something to drink. I’ll be back to normal in no time, you’ll see.”

 

Emma strangely felt the need to reassure her mother.

 

“I’m just so glad that we found you in time, Emma.” The blonde could see tears forming in her mom’s eyes. “If Henry and Regina hadn’t thought of locating your cell… Who knows what could’ve happened.”

 

At the mention of her son and his other mother’s name, Emma stiffened. But before she could inquire any further about what Snow meant, and before Snow could ask any more questions herself, her dad came back into her room with a steaming cup of tea in his hands.

 

“Here, Emma. Drink something.” David said softly and handed her the cup.

 

He gave his wife a look and gently shook his head. He knew what she wanted to ask Emma because he knew that Snow was kept in the dark regarding Emma’s feelings. The question about why Emma had run away was burning on the tip of his wife’s tongue. With a soft sigh Snow nodded and swallowed her curiosity, instead taking hold of one of Emma’s hands.

 

“Dad?” Emma prompted him to talk, now that he had gotten her something to drink.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest a little while longer before we talk about this?” he asked again, just to make sure she was ready. He glanced subtly at Snow.

Emma hesitated. Her mom didn’t know about her feelings for Regina as of yet. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted her to know now. But her own curiosity was stronger than that. She needed to know what happened after she fell asleep in the middle of the forest.

 

So she nodded. “Please. Tell me.”

 

_David was sitting at his desk in the Sheriff's office when his phone rang. Checking the caller ID he saw it was Regina. Why would Regina call him? His heart stopped beating for a second. Henry. Or Emma. He wasn’t someone to worry instantly, but Regina rarely called him, if ever, on his private cell phone._

_“Yes, Regina?” he answered the call._

_“What is wrong with Emma? David, she just stormed out of the diner, leaving Henry behind. And when I say stormed, I mean ran, like there was a dragon behind her. I tried calling her but she won’t pick up. What. Is. Wrong?” the former mayor started without greeting._

_David sighed. “Regina… I don’t know. Can you tell me what happened? I mean, besides her storming out of the diner? Was there something that might’ve warranted her reaction? Maybe a phone call? Think about it, please?”_

_There was a minute of silence, then Regina hummed. “I don’t think so, David. I came in, Henry and Emma were already seated at a table, but I only noticed them when Henry called out for me to join them -”_

_“So, you weren’t in there before? Did you come in alone?”_

_“No. Of course not. I was with Roland and Robin.” Regina snapped at him._

_“Regina…”_

_“Sorry, David. I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m angry at Emma. She just left Henry behind. Why would she leave our son behind?”_

_David marvelled at those words. It showed how far she, Regina, had come and how comfortable their friendship - he dared call it that - was getting for her to admit her feelings to him so openly._

_And then he sighed again. He knew exactly why Emma had left. He was expecting something like that to happen, had expected it to happen a lot earlier, if he was being honest._

_“David? What’s wrong?” Now worry laced Regina’s words. She still seemed angry, but very worried and concerned for her best friend and the other mother of her son at the same time._

_“Regina… I can’t really tell you. Emma trusted me with something and I’m not about to betray her trust like that. We do, however, need to find her. Let’s meet and strategize how to find her.” David suggested, already getting up out of his chair and grabbing his things._

_A sigh came over the line. “I understand that David. But if it’s concerning Emma, it concerns Henry. And with that, me. I respect your loyalty and appreciate it, even if I don’t agree right now. I’m still angry and a little annoyed at her right now. I’m still at the diner, Henry is with me. Do you want to join us for a late lunch now?”_

  
  


“So I went to the diner to meet her. And Emma, the scene I was greeted with was not pretty.” David concluded. Emma was gripping the bed sheet with her free hand tightly, looking from him to her mom and back.

 

“What happened next, Dad?” she inquired quietly after taking a deep breath.

 

David took a deep breath himself before continuing.

  
  


_When he arrived at the diner he could hear shouting from inside. He didn’t understand the words, but it was a male voice and it sounded really angry. David opened the door and the scene that unfolded before his eyes was something he’d never expected to see._

_Regina and Robin were standing facing each other, both with matching expressions of anger on their faces, but certainly for different reasons._

_“- so, no, I don’t understand why you’re so touchy about this, Regina. I don’t understand why she’s so important, why it’s so important that we go find her. She had a hissy fit. Maybe she needed the loo really badly - who knows! Just because the princess is in a mood doesn’t mean you have to be all worried about her!” Robin finished his rant in a huff._

_“Oh, don’t get me started, forest boy!” Regina simply said sounding exasperated and then turned away towards David._

_“What? What did you just call me?” Robin said, sounding hurt, confused and angry._

_David could clearly see that Regina was fed up with the man and his behaviour. And when his look fell to his grandson, Henry’s face clearly showed annoyance as well._

_“What’s going on here?” David asked, trying to sound neutral. He didn’t like Robin, but he always tried to be diplomatic when they had to interact._

_“Daddy kept yelling at ‘Gina because she worries about Henry’s Ma” Roland piped up from besides Henry._

_With a surprised look on her face, Regina turned to little Roland for a second and smiled at him._

_“That’s right.” Henry agreed. “And it’s not a nice thing to do.”_

_A strangled noise came from Robin’s direction. It sounded very frustrated._

_“You know what? We’re leaving. Roland, come on.” He waited for his son to get up and took his hand. “Regina, don’t bother contacting me as long as you’re pining over the savior.”_

_“WHAT?” Regina screeched. “I’m worried about my best friend and your reaction is this?” The anger was now clearly not only in her eyes but all over her face and noticeable in her stance. “You know what, Robin? I will not bother contacting you EVER again. We’re over.”_

_She was clearly holding back a string of other words, but for the sake of little Roland and her own son, she kept them inside. That didn’t mean that David wasn’t able to see them clearly flitting across her face. And he was sure that Robin was able to read her face as well. If not… Well, he wasn’t worth the effort anyway, in David’s opinion (and that might have a lot to do with him rooting for his very own daughter, but also a lot to do with him not liking Robin’s personality - and he just proved David’s point)._

_When Regina turned away from Robin and beckoned David over to the table, inviting him to sit beside Henry, Robin narrowed his eyes and then stormed off out of the diner, with Roland tugging behind him. That poor little boy, David mused. But poor Regina, too. Making such a public scene. Everyone was staring, too._

_“Hey, folks, nothing to see here, alright?”, Granny’s voice suddenly rang out from behind the counter. She stared pointedly across the diner, making eye contact with a few customers. A few seconds later the general murmur picked up again, they were no doubt talking about what they had just witnessed, gossiping like always._

_“I’m sorry he made such a scene, Mom” Henry said quietly. David looked first at him and then nodded towards Regina._

_“I was thinking the same thing, Regina. I mean, I want you to be happy, you know I do. But Robin? I don’t like him.”_

_Regina chuckled and then hid her face behind her hands. David knew she was trying to compose herself, so he gave her a few minutes to herself, talking to Henry about Emma’s and his morning._

_“I knew she met Hook for breakfast, Gramps, but I… you know? It was about them and I know she wanted to…” Henry hesitated. He clearly didn’t know how much he could tell. David nodded. “I know. She told me she wanted to break up with him” He glanced at Regina out of the corner of his eyes who looked up sharply at this piece of information._

_“She did what?”_

_Henry sighed. “She broke up with Hook.”_

_“I heard that, Henry. Why did she do that, though? I thought she was... I thought they were happy…” she trailed off, suddenly deep in thought._

_“Regina…” David prodded gently. “She wasn’t happy. She is in love with someone else and it wasn’t fair to Hook, so she broke it off. I know why she ran off earlier, though, and Henry, it has nothing to do with you, okay? I don’t want you to feel like you did anything wrong. She wasn’t ‘in a mood’ as Robin put it either. I mean, I haven’t talked to her because I couldn’t reach her cell as well. It just rings and rings and she won’t answer. She probably has it on silent…” David cleared his throat. “How much time has passed since she ran off?” he thought to ask._

_“We sat down for lunch around 1.30 pm” Henry said. “Mom came in around … uhm. Maybe two?”_

_Regina nodded. “That’s about the time we came in, yes…”_

_“Okay, that means… “ he checked his wristwatch “... she has been gone for an hour?” It was shortly after 3pm now. With her stamina, she must’ve gotten pretty far by now, David guessed. Especially if she was running blindly. What if… -_

_“D’you think she got over the town line already?” Henry asked quietly, a trace of fear in his voice._

_Regina abruptly turned her head towards her son. If what he was saying, and they all had been thinking, was true… It’d mean only she and Henry would be able to find her. Everyone else would lose their memory crossing the town line. She hugged herself around her middle. She would have no magic out there either._

_Magic! That was it._

_“Regina, can’t you use your magic to try and locate her?” David asked her, hope evident in his voice and facial expression._

_“I can try… But if she crossed the town line…” she trailed off._

_At that moment Ruby appeared besides their table._

_“Hey y’all. Need something to drink? Something stronger maybe, Regina? I mean, we all couldn’t help but overhear… David? Coffee?” she offered._

_The look on Regina’s face was priceless. There was a mixture of emotions there, but anger was prominent. Not the right thing to offer, David thought and flinched._

_“How about you make yourself useful, Miss Lucas.” Regina hissed at the waitress._

_Ruby wasn’t fazed by Regina’s tone of voice, though, instead she looked questioningly at her._

_With an eye roll, the former queen started to explain:_

_“Emma, as you surely saw, ran out the diner about an hour ago, right?”_

_Ruby nodded. “Yes. I thought something came up, so I wrote her order on her tab…” the brunette trailed off and blinked. “Something happened, I take it?” she said and dropped into the seat beside Regina._

_“Yes.” David said. “Something happened and she took off. She won’t pick up her phone, it’s been an hour and you know her -”_

_“She ran away because of…” she shared a look with David and then Henry, “ahhhh. Right. And because she’s so good at running, that’s of course what she did.”_

_“What?” Regina looked confused and annoyed now. “What is it that you all seem to know about Emma, about my best friend, that I don’t? It all seems so clear to you, but not to me, so please, would you care to shed some light in it?”_

_Again she looked and sounded exasperated, David thought. If it were different circumstances he would find it slightly amusing._

_“That’s not our story to tell, Regina. Let’s focus on finding her, yes?” David suggested, getting them back on track._

  
  


“Does she know now?” Emma whispered, cutting her father’s monologue off, her voice sounding a bit panicked. Her eyes flitted towards her mom for a brief moment, unsure how she would react. And yet, she couldn’t seem to care anymore. Acknowledging the fact that she, Emma Swan, had run away like a coward, that she somehow had made a clear statement of her inner turmoils, was at the front of her mind. She knew it would come out at some point, that others besides her father would realise the true nature of her feelings. And if her mother didn’t know so far, she might as well hear about it right now.

  
David, however, ignored her question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, dear readers. We're coming to an end of this story. Thank you for tagging along and for all the comments and kudos so far - it means the world to me. :) <3 
> 
> The beginning of this chapter starts off with the rest of David's retelling of the happenings.   
> I hope you enjoy! :)

_The next hours were spent with Regina trying to locate Emma with her magic. She tried different kinds of locator spells, but nothing worked. To say the witch was frustrated was an understatement. Henry and David witnessed her throwing several books across her vault in anger and frustration._

_“Emma Swan, I swear to god, if you crossed that town line and injured yourself or WORSE-” she cut herself off, obviously suddenly realising the company she was in._

_David timidly stepped forward, resting a comforting hand on her forearm._

_“We’ll find her, Mom. Gramps is a Charming. He’ll find her.” Henry said, before David could say some comforting words of his own._

_She beckoned her son closer and enveloped him in a tight hug._

_“The heart of the truest believer. My prince,” she whispered in his hair, placing a soft kiss to his temple._

_With a heavy sigh she released him. “What else could we do? Magic doesn’t work…”_

_It was getting late now and David realised they had better find her, and soon. Because not only was it getting late, but also colder by the minute. It had been raining the day before and with the damp ground in the forest… He didn’t know the condition she would be in. Emotionally, mostly, but physically as well._

_“Have either of you tried calling her again?” he asked Regina and his grandson._

_“Oh my god, gramps! That’s it!” Henry exclaimed and pulled out his cell phone._

_“Henry? What are you saying?” Regina implored, her voice taking on an anxious tint._

_“She has her cell on her, right? But she won’t pick up because she’s too emotional or something, so, why not just trace her GPS or something? Like they do in all those cop shows! You can do that, Gramps, right? I mean, I know Ma ordered this tracking software because … I don’t know why. But I remember her talking about it!” Henry kept on babbling, seemingly excited about his idea._

_And what an idea it was. David suddenly felt a glimmer of hope and excitement, as much as his grandson was showing. They could be able to actually find her that way, even if she had stumbled across the town line._

  
  
  


“Did I cross the town line?” Emma implored when David finished his monologue. She wanted to know what had happened so badly, she could feel her stomach rebelling.

 

With a deep breath, David finally relented. “No. No, you didn’t. You were pretty emotional, though, which made your magic somehow act up in a way that wouldn’t let Regina use her locator spells on you.” he explained quietly.

 

“That’s what kept her from locating me? My magic?” Emma asked with a feeling in her chest she couldn’t explain. It was a mix of relief and sadness and in that moment, she didn’t even want to find an explanation for either of them.

 

“It was. However… When we got to you…”

  
  


_David was running through the forest, Regina hot on his heels. Ruby, who knew how to work the software as a part-time deputy, was with Henry at the station, guiding them through the forest._

_“You’re nearly there, David. Just about 300 metres ahead of you. She’s still not moving. Maybe she fell asleep or something?” Ruby mused aloud. An agreeing murmur from Henry came over the phone._

_“There! David, I think she’s over there. I can see something red. The same red as her jacket. She was wearing it this afternoon!” Regina exclaimed and - as fast as she was now running - David was worried about her ankles. But he kept up with her easily, just a step behind her, ready to catch her or for every other eventuality that was playing out in his mind at rapid speed._

_“You must be there now, guys!” Ruby said._

_“Yes…” David whispered, coming to a halt behind Regina, relief at seeing his daughter palpable in his voice.“Yes, we are. I’ll call you back." he hastily ended the call, witnessing Regina breaking out into a sob of relief. He had never before seen her that emotional. Not in front of others anyway. Except maybe Henry. And Emma, since they had become friends._

_She was already kneeling beside Emma, feeling for a pulse, checking her for injuries._

_“She’s unconscious, David, but she’s alive. She’s okay, David. She’s okay.” Regina whispered over and over again._

_David could tell that there were more emotions at play than just the relief of a friend. He crouched down beside the former queen, wanting to check for his daughter’s pulse himself._

_“Ouch!” Something akin to an electrical impulse shot through his fingers into his arm and shoulder. He pulled back, shocked and confused. Trying again, but feeling a shock wandering through his arm again, he looked up at Regina._

_“What’s going on?” he inquired. “Why can’t I touch her?”_

_“I… I don’t know, David. I can- I can touch her… See?” She gripped Emma’s hand tightly._

_Not knowing what that meant, they exchanged another look before looking at Emma again._

_“Her ankle seems twisted,” David noticed, seeing the bruised swelling on her right foot._

_Regina nodded. “She’s very cold, too. I’ll try to transport us out of here, okay? Can you find your own way back?”_

_He knew she could’ve easily transported all three of them, but as much as he wanted to make sure that Emma was alright himself, he knew she was safe with Regina. As safe as she could ever be. And he knew that Regina needed to be with Emma right now. He could see it in her eyes, in her facial expression, in the protective stance she had taken on. So he nodded and got up._

_“Just take care of her?” he asked quietly._

_“Of course. I’ll take her to the hospital, though I doubt Whale will be of much help.”_

_Not wanting to argue her point, David nodded gratefully. “They’ll be able to do something about her ankle, at least.”_

_“Right. Meet you at the hospital?”_

_With one final nod of agreement, Regina vanished with Emma in a cloud of purple smoke._

  
  
  


“And that’s how you got here,”  David concluded.

 

Snow was clutching his hand tightly. She had been filled in by Ruby and Henry while they waited for David to get back from the forest. But hearing it in such great detail… that was different. And there was one question now burning on her tongue.

 

“Why did you run away in the first place?” she asked.

 

Emma looked at her, a little warily.

 

“She’s tired, Snow. Let her tell you her reasons when she’s rested.” David tried to give Emma an out. But his daughter shook her head.

 

“No, dad. It’s ok. I- I’ll tell her. But Mom? Please, don’t be mad when you hear it okay?”

 

She waited for Snow to agree. But before she could give an explanation, one Snow certainly deserved by now, the door opened slowly, carefully, and Regina walked in.

 

Emma’s heart seemed to stop beating and it felt to her like time suddenly stood still.

Regina. What was she doing here? What did her presence mean?

 

“Regina…” She couldn’t help it, it slipped past her lips in a whisper that sounded like she was drunk on love. At least to her own ears it did and that made her angry at herself. Until she felt a warm hand covering her own cold one.

 

She looked up into dark brown ones, suddenly a lot closer than they had been just a few seconds before.

 

“Emma. I’m so glad you’re alright,” Regina whispered and then pulled her into a tight hug, one that Emma couldn’t help but relish and reciprocate just as tightly.

  
  


Unbeknownst to them, David stood and pulled Snow along with him, out of Emma’s room, to give the two of them some time to talk. He knew they needed it.

 

"Please never scare me like this again," Emma suddenly heard, muffled by her hair. But Regina had definitely said it.

 

"You're not mad at me?" She asked back, sounding surprised.

 

Regina pulled back a little, but not willing to let go quite yet.

 

"I was. Oh, Emma. I was so mad at you for leaving Henry, for running away without any kind of explanation. I was hurt. I- at first I thought you forgot something or that you, I don't know, had some kind of appointment that you had forgotten about. But the way you ran out of the diner... Robin was starting to make a scene because I started to worry when you didn't come back, didn't pick up your phone and Henry was still there, trying to keep Roland occupied..." Regina trailed off, staring at the bed. When she looked up again the tears in her eyes made Emma take a sharp inhale of breath.

 

"I'm sorry, Regina. I'm _so_ sorry. I was acting immature and like a coward and I'm so so sorry about it... Can you-"

 

"Don't say you want me to forgive you. Don't say that, Emma. I was blind and not trusting my own instincts. If you want to do the blaming game - I'm as much at fault as you are, then."

 

"What? Why? What are you saying, Regina?"

 

Emma's heart beat quickened and there suddenly were butterflies taking up residence in her stomach.

 

“I’m sure David told you a lot of what happened, of what he saw going on with me while you were… well, missing. Right?”

 

Emma nodded carefully, her head still hurting. “He did. He… Oh god, I have so many questions right now…” Emma sighed.

 

“I know, dear. I know you have and I’ll answer them all, okay? One after the other.” Regina consoled her, taking her hands into her own.

 

“How did you find me? I mean, I know how Henry got the idea and that David was with you when you apparently spotted my leather jacket. But, like, why were you with David in the first place? Why did you get so upset over it? And what happened with Robin?”

 

Regina chuckled. “I see. A lot of questions, indeed, dear.”

 

“There are more.” Emma replied with a cheeky grin, easily falling back into the banter they always shared. It made her heart hurt.

 

“Let’s start with a simple one then, hmm?” Regina suggested, smiling softly at her.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

“I’m here because I want to be. I brought you in, and I’ve stayed with you since then. I only left this morning to grab a shower, some clothes for us both and to see Henry off to school, since Snow was with David here, waiting for you to wake up again.”

 

“Again? You know I’ve been awake before? Was that… was that you… with me?”

 

Regina looked at her for a few seconds, searching her eyes.

 

“Yes, dear. It was me with you. I couldn’t leave your side. I was the only one able to touch you.”

 

Emma looked confused at that. “I remember David saying that he got some kind of electrical shock whenever he touched me…”

 

“Yes. Somehow, your magic was acting up. I couldn’t use magic to locate you. When we found you, however, suddenly I was the only one who was able to touch you. I didn’t want to use magic on you, though, not without asking for your consent. Your injuries weren’t life threatening. And then, there’s the fact that with your ankle still injured-”

 

“I wouldn’t be able to run away the moment you came back.” Emma cut her off. “Yeah, good thinking on your part. Though even if my ankle was fine… I couldn’t- I can’t run away anymore, Regina.”

 

Emma broke their eye contact and stared at their now entwined hands. “I didn’t get very far last night, either. I’m not strong enough to -” she sighed, interrupting herself. “It doesn’t matter” she then whispered.

 

“Oh, Emma, dear. It does matter. You matter. To me. So please don’t do this. Don’t pull away, don’t build up walls. You can trust me, Emma. Don’t you trust me?”

 

“This is not about trust, Regina.” Emma said and looked back up and right into Regina’s eyes. “This isn’t about trust at all. You should know that I trust you with my life. I- It’s just… “ she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

“You said you were the only one who was able to touch me? But Snow and David were able to just now.”

 

“Ah, then it really did happen…” Regina commented and with a slight blush forming on her cheeks, turned her head away.

 

“Oh no. No, no, no. If I don’t get to do this, then surely you  don’t get to either, Your Majesty. Don’t hide,” the blonde said, maybe a little bit too hotly. But she was right, wasn’t she? She freed one of her hands and gently guided Regina’s face back towards her own. “What happened?”

 

“I suppose that it’s all connected. The reason I couldn’t locate you with my magic, the reason I was the only one able to touch you… You said you were aware of waking up once and that you were aware of someone, me, being there. Do you remember anything else about that moment?”

 

“Pain. I was in a lot of pain. And I was panicking, for a moment, not seeing anything, not knowing where I was and how I got there. And I was cold. Then suddenly there  were hands in my hair, gentle, soothing. I figure they were yours?” At Regina’s nod she continued. “And then I felt safe. Warmer. My forehead… There were the touch of lips on my forehead and some kind of golden light?”

The sheriff stared wide eyed at Regina. “Did you give me… true love’s kiss? But I thought that... How…? Why?”

 

Emma was crying now. She didn’t even realise that she was until Regina started to softly brush the tears away with her thumbs, the blonde’s face now cradled gently in between her hands.

 

“Emma… yes. Yes, you’re right. I did give you true love’s kiss. Despite the fact that I only ever heard of it working while kissing your true love on your lips. It worked on the forehead with Henry and you, too. And I didn’t want to just kiss you on the lips. Like I said before, consent. I didn’t know.. I wasn’t sure… I just-” the former queen sighed and leaned her forehead against Emma’s.

 

“You are my true love, Emma. And I knew that before, but I thought you didn’t feel the same way. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to love me, or if I even deserved you. And then Robin showed up and you were with Hook… And I thought I could settle. I was happy at the beginning, after I’d gotten used to the idea of settling down with Robin and Roland. But then, Robin started to annoy me, aggravate me. Whatever he did, the way he spoke, smelled… I always, always, tried to match him up to you, to measure you two. And he couldn’t win, he never could. You’re so much more, you mean so much more to me than he ever could, Emma. Can you see that? And when I heard that you broke up with Hook because you weren’t happy with him and that you loved another… I was jealous and hurt and-”

 

Emma cut her off with a soft touch of her lips against Regina’s. It was cautious, gentle and short lived. But it was there.

 

“That’s the reason I ran away, ‘Gina. Because you came in with Robin and you seemed so happy. It seemed like he was the light, the love of your live. And I couldn’t stand it anymore, the pain I felt in my chest… It was too much. So I ran.

"I didn’t get very far, though. I mean, at some point I stumbled, hurt my ankle, but continued on until I just fell to the ground and stayed where I was, not caring about anything. I tried to find a solution for the situation, played every possible scenario through in my head. I thought I could move to Boston, Henry can cross the town line just like you and I can, so I thought he could come visit me and we could do a shared custody kind of thing. I could always video call with Snow and David… But the thought of leaving you behind, it hurt so much, I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t…

"At some point, though, I just fell asleep. After berating myself for the hundredth time for running away, for being a fucking coward.”

 

“Language, Miss Swan.” Regina scolded playfully, her tone of voice betrayed by the smirk playing across the features. She sobered up again within a few seconds. “You’re not a coward, though, Emma. Look what I did in the past. I didn’t handle my pain very well either, now did I?”

 

Emma chuckled. “Well… You did what you had to do, what you felt you had to do. And without that, we wouldn’t be here today, would we?” She asked back. It was more of a rhetorical question, so she didn’t wait for an answer, instead snuggling into Regina, hiding her face in the curtain of silky dark brown hair, lying her arms around Regina’s waist to hug her closer.

 

“So… Robin and you…?” was whispered from her position against the brunette’s neck. Emma felt Regina shiver as the breath of her words hit her skin.

 

“We are no longer an item. While the break up happened just yesterday, it was a long time coming.” Regina whispered back. Her arms had found their place around Emma’s shoulders, holding her equally tight and close.

 

“What does that mean for us?” the blonde wondered aloud. Her voice had gotten gradually scratchier, even though she had had that cup of tea with honey while she’d been talking with Regina.

 

“It can mean whatever you want it to mean, Emma. That kiss-”

 

“Wait, yeah. What was that all about? I thought there’d only be a true love’s kiss if there was a curse in place?” Emma hastily said, looking up at the brunette but not pulling away entirely.

 

Regina nodded. “I was getting there earlier, but then we… got distracted.” She tucked a strand of Emma’s hair behind her ear gently. “I don’t know who cursed you or how you got cursed, but I know that… Well, I heard about a curse that made you yearn for physical and intimate contact with your true love. That curse is not a particularly harmful one, not in a physical way, at least. It slowly drives your mind to the brink of madness, though. There are no documentations of anything that goes further because true love was found by any person cursed so far and relatively quickly. It does however explain why I couldn’t locate you with my magic, because the two souls connected by true love are supposed to _find each other_ without cheating. So your magic kind of worked like a shield. When in proximity, though, it recognizes the soul as the one they share that bond with and that part of the curse is reverted. It actually starts to work in the other direction - that’s why I was the only one able to touch you. Later, when you were settled, I summoned some books and read up on the matter. And when I kissed your forehead, I lifted the curse. However that still doesn’t explain who cursed you. Or why, when and how.”

 

Emma was lost in thought, taking in all the information Regina had given her. After a while she said with an embarrassed tint of red to her face, “Is it possible to put someone under that curse with a potion? Or by cursing an object to transfer such a curse?”

 

“I don’t know… Why? Emma…? Did you touch something?” Regina quirked her eyebrow questioningly.

 

“Uhhhhm. I don’t know? Maybe? Accidentally?”

 

“Emma.” It was said scoldingly, with a tired sigh. “What did you do?” Now Regina sounded a little exasperated.

 

“I, eh, that is actually a funny story. I… think.” At Regina’s eye roll, Emma hurried to continue. At this rate, her eyes would fall out from all the rolling they’ve done so far. “Well, you see, Belle and I do lunch from time to time, and that one day, I went to Gold’s shop to meet her there and go to Granny’s. She wasn’t ready yet, though, so I waited, hung around the shop and of course I took a look at stuff-”

 

“Of course you did,” was said with a sigh. “The only problem is, that you always seem to be _looking at everything through touch_! May I remind you of that day at my vault?”

 

“Uhhh... I’m sorry?”

 

“Are you, though? You’re phrasing it as a question, you have a tiny little smirk on your lips… I don’t think you are sorry, or are you?” Regina said, now with a small smirk on her own lips.

 

“Well, it did get us here, togeth-. Uhm. Are we…?”

 

Now Regina was full on smirking. “Are we what, dear?” she asked, mirth clearly in her voice.

 

“Uhhh… are we… I mean…” Emma gulped and rubbed her face with one hand. “You’re enjoying this way too much, seeing me squirm and struggling with words, aren’t you?”

 

“I just might be.” Regina took Emma’s hand and put it back where it had been before, around her waist, resting at the small of her back. “But I’ll go easy on you. This time. Yes, we are.”

 

“We are what?” Emma reiterated cheekily, a variation of Regina’s own words.

 

“Together, you idiot.”

 

And with that she closed the small gap between them and kissed her. Gentle at first, just a slight touch of her lips to the other woman’s, just like Emma had before. But then Emma pulled her closer, as much as was possible in their sitting positions, and their kiss deepened. When they pulled away for air, Emma breathlessly said, “Yes. Your idiot. All yours.”

 

“Thankfully so” Regina whispered and then kissed her again.

  
  
  


And that’s how David and Snow found them a few minutes later. Tightly wrapped in each other’s arms, pecking each other’s lips while still talking about all kind of things. The past, the future, the recent happenings, Emma’s idiocy, Henry. Everything.

Emma did find her happy ending, at last.


End file.
